London’s punk era gave roots to revolt

Back in the summer of 1980, The Zellots’ Christine deVeber, left, Cathy Destun and Jane Colligan were punk-rocking in front of a London hair salon. The pay was good. On Saturday, the three and their ace drummer Greg Moore will be at Call the Office as part of a major exhibition celebrating the art, music and style of the punk era here. (Courtesy of What Wave Archives)

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The iconoclasts have become icons and revolt is, finally, a revered style.

No, that is not over the top. Not even a bit.

This weekend’s celebration of the London punk scene’s enduring genius is titled Graphic Underground: London 1977 to 1990. Presented by Western University’s McIntosh Gallery, the multi-dimensional exhibition means many artists and such bands as The Zellots will be centre stage after beginning their creative life somewhere out in the great punk beyond.

“We haven’t played in our original lineup for over 32 years,” Zellots’ guitarist Christine deVeber said Wednesday. Snger Cathy Destun, drummer Greg Moore and bassist Jane Colligan join her in making history along with three other bands at Call the Office on Saturday.

The era’s rich visual heritage is gathered in an exhibition, curated by the McIntosh Gallery’s Brian Lambert, which opens at the Forest City Gallery. A visual artist and musician, Lambert is one of the many gifts of St. James St. to London arts and culture.

Among the bands on Saturday is The Enemas, a Lambertonian outfit, as well as NFG and Uranus, two powerhouses from three decades and more ago.

The Zellots also flourished back in that day. Punk historians trace the first gig in the genre here to a loft show by Toronto’s Diodes in 1976. Within a few years, there were dozens of bands rocking somewhere in London’s punk universe.

Like many great London cultural adventures, The Zellots traces its roots to Bealart. It was there that Colligan and deVeber knew they wanted to rock.

“We were best friends in high school. We just made a pact that we were going to learn how to play and be in a band,” deVeber said.

Like many bands, the lineup changed on occasion (including the editions that played two previous reunion gigs) — but The Zellots were able to make their own joyful noise.

“I think some of the harder core punks thought of us as not that punk . . . I don’t even know what you would call us — post-punk?” deVeber said.

In addition to punk influences, The Zellots found inspiration in such 1980s bands as Britain’s Bauhaus and Echo and the Bunnymen and NYC originals The Velvet Underground, which had begun making great albums in the 1960s.

Among the peaks for The Zellots were club gigs in London and Windsor on a bill with the Velvets’ viola player and mad rocker John Cale.

“He liked the band. He said he would take us on tour in Europe. But the problem is we would have had to come up with $5,000,” deVeber said.

“It might as well have been $5 million. We are living in a bandhouse and we were literally starving half the time.”

Saturday is another peak for The Zellots. Now that Moore, of Kingsville, and Destun, of the Toronto area, have been able to join the two Londoners for rehearsals, the band is planning to record after a long time off. An Italian label, which runs on vinyl, is interested. A 10-minute documentary of the early days will be on sale Saturday. There will be another gig at Call the Office on Nov. 9, bringing together many friends from the great punk era.

There is a mournful side to Saturday because of missing friends and departed heroes.

“It’s a miracle in a lot of ways . . . So many people aren’t even here any more. A lot of people have gone. So it’s kind of a miracle the four of us are still here and still able to play,” deVeber said.

Amid the memories, deVeber named Blades, Social Elite and Soldiers as three Zellots hits — adding her bandmates might choose different ones.

Then, there are the funny memories.

In the summer of 1980, The Zellots played a Dundas St. outdoor fest with backing from the Flamingo hairstyling business. Good money, about $350, came the band’s way.

But there was a catch.

“The funny thing about it is they wanted to do our hair,” deVeber said.

Destun added a violent splash of red. Purple and pink and blue streaks became part of the deVeber ’do. Colligan was game.

At the last moment, her boyfriend intervened and her hair went untamed by the Flamingo flair.

In that case, the art experts had the phrase amiss. At the Flamingo, it was revolt before the style.

James Reaney is a London Free Press arts & entertainment columnist and reporter.

What: Rock show presented by Western’s McIntosh Gallery as part of Graphic Underground: London 1977 to 1990 exhibition at the Forest City Gallery. On the bill are The Enemas, NFG, Uranus and The Zellots. The new What Wave zine will be available and there’s to be a 90-minute cassette of London bands from that era.